This isn’t the first year that John Dutton, MD, a fourth-year resident in the Emergency Department (ED), has run the Boston Marathon. He ran it in 1997 with his wife, Sharon Dutton, MD, Radiation Oncology; and has trained for it in subsequent years but was forced to bow out due to an injury. However, thanks to the support of his family, co-workers in the ED and Fitcorp, he is well on his way to crossing the finish line of the 2001 Boston Marathon as part of Team Brigham
“Training has been a little difficult this year, especially with the snow,” said Dutton. “But a lot of my motivation stems from knowing that people are giving Team Brigham money for me to run. I’ve started collecting donations already—people will hand me their check and say, ‘Okay, now you’ve got to run!’ That makes it easier to get up in this kind of season and run 16 miles at 7 a.m. on a Saturday.”
Dutton is one of the 122 members of Team Brigham in 2001. Together, the team hopes to raise $375,000 for BWH Community Health Initiatives Programs.
“I’ve been really impressed by everything Team Brigham has done for the runners,” said Dutton. “They have given the runners a lot of helpful information about individual fundraising. In addition, they have held several pre-marathon events on training and injury prevention, including group runs; and have even organized accommodations for us in Hopkinton the morning of the race. Their help has taken away a lot of the worry that accompanies getting ready for the marathon.”
All of Team Brigham’s 120 donated numbers have been taken, but employees who wish to volunteer at the marathon are encouraged to do so—even if all they want to do is cheer from the sidelines. “Several people from the ED are volunteering at the race,” said Dutton. “When people you know get involved, it helps to motivate you. The Boston Marathon is not just a run—it’s an event. If you can run a 20-mile training run by yourself, you can be pretty sure you can run a 26-mile marathon with people on the sidelines screaming and cheering for you.”